I'm going to teach!

Exciting news! I am going to be teaching sculptural lampworking at TemperChi this month! My first classes are scheduled for 9/29 and 9/30 and I am getting very nervous and excited. There is much to do, much to practice and much to write between now and then so if I get quiet, you'll know what I'm up to...

I've put up some more beads on Etsy and will continue to add more later today and the next few days. Lots of cute holiday beads, some bones and some really adorable sets will be available.

Ok, last but not least, I have my PMC class today! I am really excited because I think our first project will be done and ready to take home. YAY! Look for pictures soon.

Fun holiday beads

A little dance for you

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!www.jibjab.com funny stuff.

San Francisco, The Tick and a Busy Day

We went to San Francisco on Sunday. Puppy had a long walk through the Presidio and along the waterfront. We had a picnic and now Puppy thinks that the car makes food and should be searched whenever allowed. She's so funny. And hungry. Constantly hungry.

Click on the picture and see the starfish! The rock is HUGE, by the way. The starfish weren't small but they look tiny compared to the rock. The surf was pretty rough and there were people out in the bay with surfboards and parachutes. It looked like fun. Crazy, but fun.

When we came back to the car, I noticed something on Puppy's foot. I thought she had gotten some old gum stuck to her paw or something. I gave it a tremendous tug, it finally released and then it moved!!!! YIKES!!! I think it was a TICK! I say 'I think' because I flung it out the window so fast that I didn't have time to analyze it. *Shudder* I swear, that was my first encounter with a tick in California, ever. YUCK! Poor Puppy had a red spot on her paw and played up the drama queen act a bit in hopes of more picnic goodies. Of course, it worked.

I called the vet early this morning in a panic and the vet's assistant was able to talk me down from the ledge, assuring me that Puppy was not in any immediate peril. Apparently, the head, if it is still in there (again, *shudder*) will come out within a couple days and we should just look for signs of infection. By this evening, the red spot was completely gone. She also assured me that Lyme disease is pretty uncommon here and not something we should worry too much about. *Whew!*

Today was hugely busy for me. I had a dentist appointment and cleaning that took over 2 hours. My teeth are super clean now and feel great. I am one of those weird people who enjoy getting my teeth cleaned. I think if I was a fish in the ocean, I would get my own personal cleaner wrasse on a full-time basis. My hygienist, Parastu, has been cleaning my teeth for about a million years and has been my personal friend for nearly that long. I follow her from dentist to dentist, like a groupie. :)

Anyway, before the dentist, I went to the post office to mail an international package. I didn't have any of those customs forms left at home and I went to 3 different post offices this weekend and none of them had the customs forms out in a place you could get them off-hours. Grrr.

After the dentist, I took Desiree to Kohl's to pick out a new dress and some nice shoes that she can wear to school. She picked out some adorable ballerina flats and a halter dress that just looks stunning on her. After Kohl's we went to Costco to get Des her first Costco card! YAY!!! We also finally got her new frames in for Rx lenses. She will be a stylin' stylist this fall, for sure.

So, that was my day. Tomorrow is making beads day. All day. YAY!!!!

Sometimes life is just a bummer

Desiree didn't pass her behind the wheel test at the DMV. We have been practicing and practicing and her driving is really good now. She got nervous and the test just went all to hell. I feel terrible for her. We took the test at the Santa Theresa DMV, which I've heard is the hardest place to pass. I wish we'd known that before taking it. She cried her eyes out on the way home. I have to give her credit, though. Today, she got right back on the horse and drove home from school. She is a trooper.

I was so tired today I didn't make any beads at all. Last night was my PMC class and I had a great time but came back to Mark having a tantrum about something idiotic. Whatever, dude. I think I need to have a girl's night out again. Every couple months I just get fed up with his attitude and I need to go out and vent so I can come back and be nice again. Right now, I can't seem to manage nice more than 50% of the time. We're all feeling the pressure of Mark's job and the anticipation of Desiree's graduation. Even Puppy has been acting up a bit. If she eats one more of my business cards....

Big news!

Guess what?!?!?!? I got a teaching gig!!! I am so excited and nervous and then excited again!!! The name of the studio is TemperChi http://www.temperchi.com/ and the guy who is setting up the classes is very nice. I am so happy! I brought over a rough class outline and I can tell you that the class will be fun. I am planning on teaching beginning to intermediate sculptural beadmaking. All the cool and fun designs, in other words. I will announce when the class is scheduled as soon as I know. YAY!

In other news...I have more beads. This time, you get to choose from a selection of holidays. :)

For Halloween - Bats and Pumpkins.


For Autumn - Here's a September Snowman. He's pretty melty.


And for Thanksgiving - A shaggy dog with a bone. I've not been able to eat a Thanksgiving dinner in peace since we got The Puppy. And for that, I am thankful. :)

Saturday we went to Foster City for a long walk around the bay. It was very pretty there and very cool and breezy, too. We had a really nice time! Puppy liked seeing all the feral kitties living there. We read that they have a program for spaying/neutering the ferals and they feed them every day. We saw a couple feeding them while we were there, in fact. Very cool.

Sunday we just did a bunch of shopping. We needed to get some new pictures for the bathroom and a couple rugs for the kitchen. Mission accomplished! I love Kohl's.

Monday we saw a fire in the hills! I read about it when we got home. It's near Morgan Hill. Pretty massive smoke cloud. Check it out:

That picture was taken in Palo Alto and so were the rest of these. The Puppy loves the trail in Palo Alto. I think I might do a series of sets of beads named after all the cities we visit on the weekends.

Crane! They're everywhere around the water.

Puppy says, "Have a great week!"